Looking at what I held in my hands, his eyes clouded over with emotion. Turning away he rubbed at his face with his uniform sleeve. Once he looked back, I asked him, “What is this?”
He opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it as if deciding against it. Then he simply started heading back the way we came. I had no other choice but to follow behind him. Slipping such a unique looking stone into my empty pouch, so as to separate it from the other shade stones, I made sure to not fall behind.
As we continued walking, all he said before once again falling into silence was. “If you take those stones to the mages guild, you will get a decent compensation for them.”
The rest of the trek was made in silence. Even now, I felt the sadness and pain from that stone, as it permeated through the pouch holding it. I wanted to know more about what the reason was for it. But I dare not ask the vulpine after his initial reaction.
Once we reached about halfway back by my estimations, I began to hear the sound of hardened boots stamping on the ground. Accompanied by the boots were a series lights forming in the distance. Not much longer than that, we came across a contingent mostly made up of dwarves but also a few other races that each held up a mage or torch light.
The lead Dwarf of the group moved to approach Jax before speaking up. “We are here to begin our mining operation. What are both ye doing here when the subjugation has already been done?”
Jax stood his ground resolutely and responded with. “I am accompanying Traveler and Apprentice Andrew. He earned the right to some of the spoils.”
The leading miner of the group gave Andrew a gruff appraising look, grunted non-verbally and then left with a head shake.
As we then continued on walking past their group of miners, the lead Dwarf belated called out from a distance. “Safe travels to ye!”
Jax returned with. “And prosperous returns to thee and thine!”
It wasn’t long before we exited the cave, regathered the awaiting patroller group, and boarded the ready carriage for the ride back to our return destination.
The dirt roads of that ran this direction before running into the paved streets made for a bumpier ride. I sought out familiar land marks to better gauge where we were at. As we traveled, my eyes caught sight of the poor farm home of the bovine couple. Maybe it was the stone in my pouch that made the feelings hit harder. But my heart went out to that couple as I had seen that they were struggling.
There wasn’t much that I could do, but there was something. I leaned in close to Jax, speaking in a low tone so as to not be overheard, and told him. “Please have someone deliver my half of the gold coin to the bovine couple. They appeared to be in far greater need than I.” An unreadable look came to his eyes as he took in what I said. Then he quietly said. “It shall be done.”
I couldn’t bear to be the one who delivered it, as I knew that whoever did would likely also have to give the news of their children’s demise. I believed that they already knew that to be the likely outcome. However, I did not want to be the one to shatter their last hope.
I honestly felt bad for all for all of the families and individuals that had suffered from the carnal destructive nature of the dungeon creatures. However, I couldn’t help them all, as spreading the half a gold to each of them, would be but a drop in the bucket. But I could help those that helped and aided us in our endeavor to enact the revenge that they could not.
As we finally reached the main road with better pavement, I could feel a collective sigh of relief from the many patrolmen. It was also then that Jax spoke up again. “Apprentice Andrew, I wanted to again thank you for your timely assistance and procurement of the slime acid for use in our venture today. I honestly feel that we will be able to more efficiently utilize its use during future deployments such as these. I simply wanted to let you know, that although others may not verbalize it, and you may not be publicly thanked, that your contribution is greatly appreciated.”
He went on to say that the use of slime acid was surprising effective against the shades. They had originally thought that as incorporeal beings, they would only be affected by somewhat incorporeal elements such as light and fire for the most part. He felt that the value of slime cores and the popularity of performing sewer cleanings was going to go up soon.
Some of the other patrollers who I hadn’t realized were able to witness the usage of it, as they heard Jax, they spoke up in agreement and thanks with their leader at his proclamation.
As we continued, at some point during the ride the patrollers began pulling out some of their dried rations to begin eating. Several of them shared their rations and water with me in camaraderie. I honestly wasn’t feeling hungry so much as worn out. But I still forced myself to eat a few pieces of jerky and dried fruit while downing it with a good couple of mouthfuls of water. Thanking them for their sharing, they gave me companionable pats on the back and a couple of acknowledging grunts before devolving into comfortable silence.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Eventually, the carriage made a brief stop in front of the Apothecary shop to let me off. I was feeling emotionally and physically worn out, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep. As I entered the back part of the shop and into Victoria’s dining room, I saw the familiar gathering of her book group.
Hah. . . I let out a weary sigh. I hadn’t realized that was tonight. They tended to have those once a week usually with just Gertrude and Hanna joining her. However, this time Flourana was joining them again. Before them on the table, they each had a book with an interesting if again risqué cover. It depicted some muscle-bound lupine, somewhat obscured by mist and green shrubbery, who was looking down at a bejeweled maiden with antlers and deer like features.
Inwardly shaking my head at their interesting tastes, I voiced out an all-encompassing greeting and started my trek up the stairs to my bedroom.
“Andrew, a moment if you would.” Flourana spoke up. I paused sighing wearily inside, yet I headed back down the stairs to see what she wanted.
“I can see that your waist pouches are quite full, do you mind showing us what you got?” She asked seeming honestly interested.
Looking down at the pouches that contained the shade stones and that one other unique rock, I simply untied them from my waist belt and set them on the table before replying. “I do apologize ladies, but I’ve had a long day, and I really yearn for sleep. I’ll leave these here with you and can get them again later.”
My thoughts for a moment un-fogged and I thought to ask my master a question before I forgot it again. “Victoria, after today, do you believe that I could get some self-defense training somewhere?”
Victoria gave me a simple understanding nod before responding. “I’ll see what I can do. Go now and get your sleep. You appear to desperately need it. No need to entertain us ladies.” She added with a humored smile.
“Bah!” Hanna called out. “You’re too young for us anyways you little upstart. Go get some sleep.” Maybe it was my tired addled mind that misinterpreted it, but even her gruff voice seemed to have a tinge of endearment in it.
I honestly felt like a more than physical weight had come off of me as I trudged up the stairs minus the presence of the pouches and their contents. Even so, I was still very tired.
Taking a quick and refreshing shower, I lay down for the night and was promptly fast asleep.
****************************************
“He is fast asleep.” The words came from Flourana, as the others had awaited her acknowledgment that it was safe to speak.
Victoria gazed up at that stairway in the direction of his room. Concern crossed her face as she then gazed down at the pouch that contained but a single unique stone.
Flourana was again the one to speak, as she locked gazes with Victoria. “What in the heavens is your apprentice doing with a Sin stone?!” There was no accusation in her voice, but rather extreme curiosity and concern.
Victoria paused to think a moment, and then responded. “There was an incident at the shop earlier this morning where another traveler, a patrol trainee he was, came to try and cage a deeply discounted healing potion from me.”
*Snort! * Gertrude let out an indelicate noise before dryly muttering. “I pity any fool that would seek to take advantage of you, when it comes to bargaining or otherwise.”
A wolfish smile came from Victoria, before disappearing into a more morose expression as she continued vocally recalling the event. “Apparently there had been a series of child and young adult abductions in the outer edges of the city that even I was unaware of, else I would have put a stop to it early on.”
Surprised gasps from the others sounded out in the room. Gertrude then spoke up. “Don’t beat yourself up about it. I too was not aware of it either. I’m surprised that they were able to keep it quiet for so long, without the general public knowing. I suppose that they were trying to keep it quiet so as to not spook the perpetrators when they went to hunt them down.” She added on at the end.
Victoria nodded at that. “That too was my conjecture.” Then redirecting the conversation back on topic, she said. “Back to the interaction of the trainee Traveler, he was trying to use a past interaction with Andrew to claim friendship and thus fleece me of a potion at half off.” A cagey smile crossed her face. “Funny enough, Andrew fully denied such friendship, and I had to intervene by offering a free healing potion, in order to get my apprentice invited to join on the venture to capture these miscreants.”
Looking down at the four pouches of shade stones and the singular sin stone, she continued. “Apparently he kept his side of the bargain, and my student had quite the adventure.”
Hanna then spoke up. “It had to be shade-lings or another shadow affiliated monster group. Probably a dungeon that escaped notice for a while, or else there wouldn’t be such a haul of shade stones.” Poking at the pouch with the singular stone, she added. “The presence of this however, puts a whole new twist on things.”
“Indeed” Flourana spoke up at that. “The mere presence of the sin stone denotes that terrible acts of pain and fear had to have been enacted upon those poor children. For only in the prolonged presence of extreme pain and sorrow can those stones be formed.”
“Aye” Hanna agreed halfheartedly. “In my many decades monitoring the under-dark, I have chanced upon many places of torture and malice.” Her teeth lit up in a vicious gleam. “I take particular satisfaction in ripping apart those underground organizations that participate in such acts.” Her eyes took on a somewhat haunted look before adding. “But there are still many that escape my notice out there.”
Flourana placed a comforting hand on her arm in commiseration. “We each strive to play our part, but even the Deities themselves lack the ability to fully monitor the world below them. How much less capable are we than them?”